Scientists suspect that the mountain the rover is aiming for Curiosity was not created by lake silt at all.
A photo from open sources Layered rocks of Mount Sharp could form from dust brought by the wind. (Photo by NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS.)
Wind, not water at all, is responsible for most sediment in the crater, where the Curiosity rover runs, analysis says data received from orbit. If the rover confirms this assumption, reaching the central peak of the crater in the next year, the chances of finding organic material in those places can be considered equal to zero. Last August, Curiosity sank into the crater of Gale with a diameter of 154 km. Mission objective is to reach Mount Eolida (unofficially known also like Mount Sharpe) 5 km high and analyze its sedimentary breed. Some researchers suggest that the bulk a peak at the foot of which there are clays and sulfate minerals, formed by lake sediments. “If there are lakes on Mars deposits, then this is one of the best places to look for them, “- says Don Sumner of the University of California, Davis (USA), Member of the Mars Science Laboratory project. However research conducted by Edwin Kite of California Technology Institute (USA) and his colleagues painted a drier picture. On the based on images obtained by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter probe, scientists have measured the orientation of rock layers exposed in several places at the base of the mountain. Instead of flat layers that should be expect from lake sediments, they found areas tilted outward about 3 °. Calculations suggest that such an orientation occurs during the formation of layers of dust introduced into the crater by the wind. If this is true, then Curiosity will be difficult discover a place testifying to an environment conducive to of life. In addition, the search for organic materials will be complicated, because sediments formed by the wind accumulate more slowly than lakes, and therefore longer remain defenseless before the sun radiation and oxidizing substances. But Ms. Sumner does not consider that the slope of the rock layer eliminates the possibility of its formation in the lake. For example, the asteroid that created the Gale Crater could form a small central slide, and water flowing over a peak led to that the lake sediments of the sole became thicker than at the top. With in time they tightened and leaned towards the edge crater. Curiosity team member Gary Kokurek of University of Texas at Austin (USA) agrees: “Wind is not the only way to explain this slope. “Curiosity will try test these hypotheses by reaching the base of Mount Sharpe in 2014 after a 10 km journey. His cameras will turn out to be enough close to the peak to consider how much in reality tilted deposits. And even if it turns out that the mountain is mainly formed by the wind, there is no reason to lose heart, because we learn a little more about what happened on Mars in ancient times. results studies published in the journal Geology. Prepared by Materials Nature News.
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